Protecting His Investment
by gawilliams
Summary: Set in Season 3, after the mistletoe kiss but before Booth gets shot at the Checkerboard. Booth can't go on a case with Bones and makes sure that she doesn't meet another Sully.


_Here is something I thought would be good for a bit of a smile and chuckle. It takes place in season 3 after the Christmas episode, but before Booth gets shot at the Checkerbox. I hope you enjoy it. Gregg._

_Disclaimer: I don't own, or profit from, these characters or franchise. No copyright infringement is intended._

Booth was not a happy man right at that moment. No Sir! He wanted nothing more than to reach over and strangle the Nimrod from down in Administration, those pathetic chair warmers, who had just announced that he was not going anywhere until the last three weeks of reports were redone correctly. It seemed that his assistant, and all around go to guy, Charlie, had not noticed the changes in the report forms and had filled them all out wrong and Booth being Booth had only signed his name to them without really giving them a good look see. Needless to say Charlie was going to get the ass chewing of a lifetime when his sorry ass showed up for work the next day.

They had a case! Him and Bones had a case and now he was going to have to let Bones go alone! This was like last year all over again and Bones was going to meet up with some good looking agent and decide maybe another shot at relationship bliss was in order! Dammit! Sully, that pathetic, interloping pansy, was bad enough! But again? Hell no! Then some inspiration struck and he got an evil grin on his face. Picking up the phone, he dialed up the Portland, Maine field office. Yep. No good looking agents for Bones this trip!

"Hey, Frank. Booth here. Gotta favor to ask," Booth said when the head of the field office picked up.

"_Sure, Booth_," Frank Banton replied. "_What'ya need_?"

"Who's the most out of shape, ugly agent in your office that no woman in her right mind would want to be around?" Booth asked.

"_That's easy, Booth. Mike Gibbs. He's 49, a beer belly and balding_," Frank answered.

Booth smiled widely. "Perfect! I can't get away so Dr. Brennan from the Jeffersonian is heading up there by herself to work the science end of the case," he explained. "I want you to partner her up with this loser and then I want you to offer your home with you and Alice for the three or four nights she'll be in town. She's too gracious to refuse an offer like that."

"_Done_," Banton agreed.

"And one more thing. Let it be known that if any single schmuck in the office makes a play for her that they can kiss their balls goodbye courtesy of yours truly," Booth said, a hint of venom in his voice.

"_Consider it done, Booth_," Frank chuckled. "_I'll even do you one better. How about I arrange some family evenings and make sure that Dr. Brennan is included. That way there's no way she'll be meeting anyone interesting outside of my family_."

"You're the Man, Frank," Booth said, delighted at how well this was going to work out. "I owe you."

"_You owe me Big Time, Booth_," Frank chuckled and then hung up.

Booth smiled as he pulled out his cell phone. He punched one and then send. His smile widened as his beautiful partner answered.

"_Brennan_."

"Hey, Bones," he said, his smile never waning. "Gotta change in plans..."

_**Five Days Later**_

Bones was seriously ticked off when she got off the elevator on Booth's floor at the Hoover building. It had been the worst out of town case she'd ever been on since agreeing to assist the FBI three years before. Making her way resolutely through the bullpen, throwing a serious glare at a sulking Charlie, she entered Booth's office and glared at him, her hands at her hips looking for all the world as if she was going to tear a strip off of him.

"Bones!" Booth grinned, and then shrank a bit as he saw her rather displeased expression. "Bad trip?"

Bones' glare hardened. "A bad trip?" she repeated his question. "You were behind this, weren't you? You got me partnered with a chauvinistic, beer swilling Neanderthal who is so mentally challenged as to make your son Parker vastly more qualified to work a murder investigation by comparison! The man was belching every five minutes, had no redeeming qualities as a human being, and made a pass at me less than one minute after being introduced! Then, when all I wanted was to be taken to my hotel in order to decompress and perhaps take a relaxing bath the head of the field office offers to allow me to stay at his home with his wife and three children."

"Hey, now Frank and his wife are nice people," Booth defended his friend, even though he himself was indeed to blame for all this.

I will grant you that they are very nice people indeed, and their children, despite their young age, were well behaved, but I was hoping for some time alone in order to better work this case," she told him in a haughty tone.

She didn't mention that she had also considered, before the change in plans, going to a nearby bar or tavern a short distance from her hotel, and possibly see about dealing with her mounting biological imperatives. She had only been with one man, and only for one night, since Sully had left the year before, and her rising sexual tensions due to her close proximity to Booth on a somewhat continual basis needed to be dealt with. But this little stunt had ruined any such ideas. That was when she realized something. There was no way that she would have considered any such action if Booth had been on the trip with her, but he wasn't.

"You did this so I wouldn't meet any good looking men with whom I could deal with my biological imperatives," she stated bluntly.

Booth leaned back in his seat and got a smug look on his face. "And if I did?" he asked.

"Line or no line, Booth, you owe me five nights of pleasure," she told him firmly.

"I'm not finding some gigolo for you, Bones," he told her.

Bones leaned forward and placed her hands on his desk, looking him squarely in the eyes. "Then you better be at my apartment at eight o'clock this evening ready to end the line once and for all and make sure that I have absolutely no reason to ever want to find another man to satisfy my urges ever again," she told him. She straightened up. "And you better have a lot of stamina, Booth. I expect five all night performances before slowing down to a more relaxed sexual relationship."

Booth watched as she walked out of his office. _**All**__ night_? _**Five**__ nights in a row_? Booth sent up a silent prayer for strength, but also reminded himself that (1) there had been no potential interloping sleaze bags like Sully on this trip, and (2) he was apparently now in a relationship with Bones. Over three years carefully cultivating his friendship and the potential for more with Bones was now paying off. Sorry for protecting his investment? Hell no!

_A/N: Just a short one to add a bit of humor to a scenario. I never liked the whole Sully storyline, so I decided to write this one and see what Booth would do if he had another situation that could lead to another Sully escapade. I hope you enjoyed it. Gregg._


End file.
